I’m not sure if either of you have been keeping up with how many users are pissed that they will no-longer be able to buy computers with WinXP (Home, Media, or Pro Edition) on them. They are pissed due to the high amount of incompatibilities of their older software (and hardware from a drivers standpoint) with Vista. Currently Microsoft is stating they will NO LONGER ship XP with any newly built systems or sell it off the shelf after June 30th 2008.
What is so threatening about this is that from that point they also won’t be making better drivers for existing equipment for XP hardware as well. (i.e. Video Cards, Chipsets, Digital Cameras, Sound, etc) So if something goes wrong on your system, and you need to upgrade some piece of your computer after June 30th, the replacement part you buy will only have a Vista signed driver. (And will not be backward compatible) SO, having to upgrade a video card may mean you have to buy a whole new O.S. as well. (i.e. Vista)
What is also being reported heavily now is the coming of Windows 7. Windows 7 is the next iteration of the Windows operating system to replace Vista. They are doing this due to Vista’s terrible reception and many incompatibilities. Basically most of the computer industry is calling Windows Vista the 21st century’s first case of bloated junk-ware Windows Me was in the 90’s.
The more daring o f us have ventured into the waters of Linux; and Microsoft is prepping their PR to tell the masses that Windows 7 (this is still a code name; not the official product name) will be to Windows Vista what Windows XP was to Windows Me.
It is very easy to find all of this stuff all over the web at the most esteemed technical websites/webzines. Many people are saying, “Hold on a moment!” though.
Rather than follow through with their plan of moving the launch date of Windows 7 to 2009 as opposed to late 2010 as it was originally slated; instead let’s implore Microsoft to stick with a system most feel does it’s job just fine (XP – Thank You very much) and come out with a non rushed version of Windows 7 in late 2010 (Fall/Christmas) as originally planned?
As anyone in software development will tell you; rushing development of a replacement product for a product that is currently held in contempt due to its numerous bugginess will only take people down a slippery slope of more failed products. While this might be great for Linux fans; most desktop users are intimidated at having to learn a WHOLE NEW SYSTEM.
What many petitioners are getting behind (quite quickly mind you) is for Microsoft to bite the bullet and keep all XP editions around until the original planned release of Windows 7 comes out – Late 2010. Many companies are fighting for Microsoft to see that they will be slitting everyone’s throats including their own: not to mention the hardware manufacturer’s market, business program markets, as well as the PC game market – if they follow through with the arbitrary cutoff date of June 30th for all forms of XP.
Microsoft Vista was supposed to come out and replace XP in 2005; but due to more problems than I have time to explain, they had to stop everything, throw it all away, and start all over again. This left Vista to come out as an immature/unready product Released to manufacturing in late 2006 (With less than 7% market penetration) and a consumer release in Spring 2007 of which the grand majority of consumers have still said (even as of mid April 2008), “Hell no I won’t buy Vista; I’m just getting comfortable with XP!”.
At this point consumers and hardware manufactures are BEGGING Microsoft to allow XP to still be sold & completely supported past the June 30th cutoff date. Most folks who buy new computers buy them with Vista already installed; but due to the grand majority of people complaining; Microsoft has granted a Vista downgrade option till June 30th of 2008.
That date is rapidly approaching; and businesses and consumers alike are all dreading the forcing of Microsoft Vista to all consumers for the next year until they will be told YET AGAIN to buy whatever name they come up with for Windows 7 in 2009. Microsoft sees this as the only profitable option rather than develop Windows 7 as proper new product which has always been meant to be released in 2010.
Microsoft has to accept the fact that Vista is/was a so called “turd in the punchbowl”. If you look at Microsoft’s stock prices, they’ve never gone down more sharply than since Vista was crowned the flagship of their enterprise. If they want to save face with businesses and consumers, they must do the right thing and sustain Windows XP until a proper version of whatever operating system name they will give to Windows 7 in late 2010.
What can you do about it? You can sign this petition to make Microsoft look at the facts they don’t want to accept. If you don’t sign this; perhaps it is because you either disagree with my assertations, or you don’t understand what all of this is about. If you fall in the latter category; expect that your already confusing world of computing grow much, much, more confusing in the next year.
To put it simply, Microsoft is pushing planned obsolescence down our throats; only instead of XP actually being obsolete and in need of replacement; XP is being tossed aside and not being supported because Microsoft wants you and the businesses that are tanking all over the world to spend billions on an UNEEDED, OVERLY COMPLICATED, NEW VERSION of WINDOWS that will make ALL YOUR COMPUTERS function more poorly thereby CREATING the FALSE NEED for EVERYONE to BUY NEW COMPUTERS, NEW PARTS, AND NEW VERSIONS OF WINDOWS every two years just so THEY can PROP up their Own Industry at the pillaging of all others!
Please read and sign this petition!!!!
-Fred
Click on the link below, then the button that says “Sign the ‘Save XP’ Petition Today!”
http://weblog.infoworld.com/save-xp/archives/2008/04/sign_the_save_x.html
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